Does anyone use a wrap or sling?

Question

I've seen advertisement for a sling, which a piece of cloth that's tied or looped and carries the baby on you.

How do you like it? What inspired you to buy it? And lastly where did you purchase or receive it?

Answer 1

I use a moby wrap. I have a curved back that gets sore easily. WIth most carriers, they are hard on the back. They say 'up to 35 lbs' or whatever. Not likely. They hurt. Also some of them are bad for baby's spine developement (I heard this, so not sure if true) if they are in it alot as the legs are at the wrong angle and the spine has too much pressure at the botton.

With my son I used a sling to nurse a few times, but got rid of it. I am moby wrap all the way. I have problems nursing in it though. I just moved by the ocean (LOVE IT:)) And we go for walks alot. There is alot of steep inclines and the wind and sometimes blowing water come up on us. We walk along cliff edges, down steep banks, stairs set in hills, ducking under trees, on sand, on roads, and over big and small rocks and boulders on the beach... all of these elements are in our daily 1 hour walk. And that wrap is a lifesaver. He is so close to me that I am not thrown off balnace. I am constantly looking around him to the ground for good footing and covering his face from wind. I love my wrap. Not once was my back or shoulders sore and he must be about 18 lbs at least by now. He loves it. The only thing is to learn it. It takes about 30 seconds to tie the wrap on me (it is one long peice of cloth) and so learning it is tough. But I have the hang of it now.

When my daughter was about a year old I had a back-pac carrier, I will get one of those again. They are amazing, but my little one is too young yet and doens't have the muscle control for that yet. Those are good up too 3 years old.

I got mine for $45 plus tax (for the solid color one) from the city from a baby shop. You can order them online too. I was inspired to get this as I was dissapointed with my daughters snugglis, so when I was pregnant I spent HOURS and HOURS over a period of months to find the perfect carrier. These ones are used in Asia and are coming over here now. I get alot of compliments on it and peopel stop me and ask about it. I tell them how comfortable it is and doens't give me pressure points, etc. When he was a newborn I tucked his feet in and it was like he was still in the womb... it was so comforting for him. I know someone who uses hers around the house for her baby when he is fussy, but personally I dont' like bending down excessively when a baby is strapped in front of me.

Answer 2

I love mine! I had a Bjorn with my son and hated it...he was so big and it killed my back. I got a sling with my second from Ella Roo and it's very comfy. My friend has a Moby sling and she loves hers too. Mine has metal braces(like a belt) and her's just wraps around and ties. I chose the one with a brace b/c I felt it would be more secure. Here is a great website if you're interested....http://www.mammasmilk.com. It has a lot of different brands. I got mine from www.ellaroo.com.

The only thing is that you really have to use it around the house to get use to it. I had a tough time at first figuring it out and I almost gave up b/c it was taking too much time. But once you get the hang of it, you can get it on and off in no time.

Answer 3

I had both a sling and a bjorn carrier. The sling was an over the should baby holder - seriously, that was the brand. I far prefferred the carrier, although the sling could hold a heavier child.

There a slings out now that look so much handier with pockets, and such.

The carrier was a life saver once I had two kids. Used it a ton then more than when I just had one.

Answer 4

I have both a wrap (a Moby) and a sling (a Hotsling.) I got both off of eBay since you can find good deals.

I LOVE them. My wrap was great especially in the beginning. I haven't used it again in a couple months since I've been loving my sling! I have a busy preschooler and I nurse, so I wanted something that I could both have the baby up with me, where baby is happier, but still have my hands free for tasks or my preschooler. I like that I can easily nurse when I'm out in public. I especially love my sling for traveling, we used it to fly across the country and it was fantastic! I traveled alone with the two kids, and having one close to me, supported, and my hands free for the preschooler and my luggage was great.

As Sarah 432 said, people LOVE to see babies in slings in wraps. Everywhere I go I heard people whispering "That is so COOL!" Some people ask me about the wrap/sling and they are fascinated.

Answer 5

We have a sling, we have a mei tai, we have a 'Baby Bjorn' front-pack, and a 'Bill Amberg Papoose' front-pack carrier.

We're still learning the sling; it is not baby's favourite... It was a hand-me-down from a friend, who got a lot of use out of it; don't take my baby's preference as a universal. It's a "Heart to Heart":
http://www.heart2heart.on.ca/
It is quite comfy.

But we loooove the other carriers. The Baby Bjorn is the around-the-house workhorse, the cry-stopper. The Bill Amberg thing, which is leather and sheepskin and posh and something I'm frightened of getting a poopsplosion on, is the on-the-town job; it's luxury for the baby, too, with all that nice warm wool.

The mei tai is what we're using for afternoon walks. Given that it puts the weight on the back and shoulders fairly evenly, it's more comfortable for long-duration baby-hauling than the other ones.

I cannot recommend mei tais enough. Ours came from a local WAHM type; http://slingtastic.ca/

Tip: get something in a nice fabric that goes with most of your clothing. You will likely be wearing it a LOT. Thanks to all this carrier goodness, we don't have a stroller and don't really want one. I might have to re-think that if she gets too heavy for me, but. I'd recommend holding off on buying a stroller, at least. Newborns especially don't belong in them; they're so much happier in a parent's arms or strapped to a parent's chest.

Start using them early, and at first, only put your baby in when s/he's in a good mood. That's what we did with the Baby Bjorn, and that is, I think, how it turned into the cry-stopper it became.


edit: I got the Bill Amberg 2nd-hand, in apparently unused condition for a _fraction_ of the usual price, I swear! That said, I didn't mind spending even that fraction because I rarely leave the house these days without my daughter strapped on somehow. I figured it was kind of like investing in a nice purse or nice coat... It is astonishingly well-made, too; if I'd been given one as a present, I would've shrugged off the horrifying cost by saying 'Well, I can just eBay it when I'm done with it.'

Answer 6

I swear by them. They are great for many reasons. Babies that are carried more cry less, and sleep better. They are easily comforted. They best part of a sling is if you have two little ones close in age, you need to be hands free alot, and slings are great for this. They make breastfeeding in public easy too. You can buy one over the internet, just do a seach, or buy a pattern and make one yourself, or ask someone crafty to sew you one. I have a homemade one that has held up wonderfully. Just make sure it is 100% cotton.

Answer 7

With my son I have used the sling, front pack, back pack, and a Moby wrap. My son and I both prefer the Moby wrap. The sling hurt my neck and shoulder and the weight limit on it was not that high. The packs were ok but the baby just kind of hung off my body. The Moby wrap holds my son against my body and there are a ton of ways that I can wrap him up, front, back, side and it will hold him up to 35 pounds. Check out their website.
http://mobywrap.com/

Answer 8

I carried my son in a maya wrap for over a year, and I loved it. He was a fussy baby, and swaddling/carrying him helped him relax and enjoy the world instead of crying all the time. I bought mine online: http://www.mayawrap.com/

I love the versatility. You can adjust it as necessary (with the rings) to hold the baby in various positions, and it is washable. It is also easy to breastfeed in and to use the remaining cloth to cover yourself up.

I had briefly tried one of the padded slings, but found it bulky and hot. The maya wrap is actually more comfortable even though it just looks like a piece of cloth.

Answer 9

This is a great way to sooth a colicky baby or to provide close skin to skin contact with your baby. It's very useful during the day when you need to be up and around getting things done but still have your baby close to you. Remember, they were inside you for so long, listening to the beating of your heart and your voice. Babies love to keep that warmth and closeness out of the womb also. I included a site that sells great carriers but babycenter.com also has a lot of info too. It's a very helpful site and you can shop on there also. Best of luck to you and your little one!

Answer 10

I have two adjustable pouches for my son (purchased from mayawrap.com, but they no longer make these) and I love it! They have buttons and zippers so you can make them fit you perfectly. I wanted to keep my son close to me, and after trying a Snugli carrier and seeing how uncomfortable he looked, I purchased the pouches. I cradled him in it and he would fall asleep within minutes. I loved not having to carry his bulky infant car seat with me, esp. since I'm really petite. My son is now 5 months and 18 lbs. and I still use the pouches for him, except now we do either the Kangaroo carry or the hip carry. I love how versatile it is and how safe and secure my son feels in it.
I'm actually going to purchase a ring sling soon, but instead of buying from the major companies, I'm going to purchase them from a WAHM so she can help support her children. You can find great deals on Ebay from other mothers, and if you know how to sew, you can actually make your own.

**Do Your Own Thinking: I just looked up the Bill Amberg you were talking about and it's about $500! Is it really "worth it" in terms of keeping your baby and you comfortable? I'm just shocked.